Kuka'i
by PiWithApple
Summary: Their baby is well on her way, two months early, but Steve is no where to be found. Major character death, established relationship.


On his first day out of the academy, a young girl was snatched on her way to school. It took four days to locate Amy Jones and Danny spent all of those days with a general sense of unease. When the mother of the tenth little girl with red hair, brown eyes and a green hoodie accused him of being a pedophile for paying too much attention to her child, Danny realized he had a problem.

Though he never managed to shake the feeling altogether, he learned to use it to his advantage and he welcomed the day they would close the case and he could exist in relative peace, even if it was only for a brief period of time. Those moments seemed to shorten dramatically upon meeting Steve McGarrett, more so when he realized he was madly in love with the man, but they were still there and he cherished each one.

And so, when Danny woke 10 hours after completing his (and Steve's) paperwork for their latest case and the feeling persisted, he couldn't help but worry.

When Danny's phone rang at two in the afternoon, he picked it up without looking at the caller ID and growled, "Where's my lunch, Steven?"

"…Danny?" a scared voice answered.

"Keahi? What's wrong?" Danny asked, his heart pounding.

Two years after their civil union, Steve took Danny out to dinner and asked if he would like to have a baby with him. Danny laughed, and was banished to the couch for a week. He hadn't meant to, but he had long since given up his dream of a big family and as long as he had Steve, what more could he possibly need?

Steve asked his high school sweetheart and eventual best friend, Keahi, if she would carry their child and by some miracle, she agreed. Steve had this look on his face on the drive home and Danny was still trying to figure it out when he was thrown on their bed and mindblowing sex gained a whole new meaning.

An excruciating five months, three implantations and a huge chunk of their savings later, they were expecting a baby.

"I… I think I'm having contractions," Keahi's usually bright tone was hampered by fear and pain.

"Okay… Okay have you called an ambulance? I'm coming straight over but if they get there first, go with them. Everything's going to be fine. Do you want me to stay on the phone with you?"

Danny ran out of his office, threw the door to Kono's office open and mouthed 'Keahi'. The rookie blanched but immediately dialed Malia's number.

Danny broke into a run towards the Camaro, slapping his forehead when he realized Steve had taken it to go get lunch, and had he not been so preoccupied with the fact that their child was quite possibly about to be born two months early, it might have occurred to him that Steve had been gone for over two hours, well over the half an hour he usually took.

Kono jogged up behind him, ushering Danny towards her car while he continued to reassure Keahi over the phone. An hour later, they were in the hospital, Keahi was in with the doctors and Danny was fuming.

"Where the fuck are you, Steven?" he all but screamed into his phone.

A nurse glared at him and Chin snatched the phone out of his hand, earning him a glare from Danny who had gone a surprising shade of red.

"I don't believe him. Call him at three in the morning and he answers on one ring, call him when _our child_ is about to be born and he is dead to the world."

"Danny, calm down," Chin forced a cup of hot chocolate into his colleague's hands. Apparently caffeine was ill-advised.

"_Don't_ tell me to calm down. Put a BOLO out on his car-"

Danny was cut off by a succinct, "Detective Williams."

He whirled around to see Keahi's doctor, Leonard James, striding towards him.

"Are they okay?" Danny asked, his tone riddled with worry.

* * *

Steve had taken to driving with more caution lately, because breaking a road rule was not going to be the reason he didn't live to see his little girl. He smiled at the thought, thinking back to the day they found out. Danny had_ teared _and Steve wished he could tease him endlessly for it, except he had too, maybe even a little more than Danny.

He had driven a little further out today because he was feeling generous and decided to get Danny some of those cocoa puffs he loved. He tried to get his lover to eat healthier, so that they could live out as many days as possible together, and Danny had retorted saying Steve was more likely to get him killed than the occasional malasada (three a day).

Steve didn't want to fight anymore, though. Fighting was exhausting and they had far more important things to do before the baby-

_Pain. _

Steve struggled to open his eyes but found he couldn't and decided instead to take stock of his injuries. The last thing he remembered was his head smacking sharply against the steering wheel. He was leaning rather uncomfortably towards the passenger seat and tried to pull himself back but a sharp pain lanced through his side.

He struggled to get his ragged breathing back under control and decided to take in his surroundings instead of attempting further movement. He could hear voices nearby, but the words they spoke held no meaning.

_Why aren't they helping me?_ Steve wondered.

An image of Danny surfaced in his mind, laughingly telling him trouble managed to find him everywhere, moments after Steve was stung by a jellyfish the week before. He indignantly reminded Danny that there weren't supposed to be any, only to incite another roar of laughter.

_Danny! Danny will know what to do,_ he decided.

Steve gathered all his energy, content in knowing that while the effort may well push him right through death's door, given how quickly he seemed to be fading again, he would die with his lover's name on his lips.

"_Danno!_"

* * *

Danny poked his head through the door to Keahi's room and cringed at the sight that greeted him. Her face was pale and drenched in sweat but she still found it in her to smile up at him.

"Where's Steve?" she asked.

"I've called him at least ten times. Chin put a BOLO out on his car, let's just hope our little girl waits for him, hmm?" Danny pulled a chair up to the bed and took her hand in his.

"I think this one is more than just a tad impatient-" she exhaled heavily through another contraction, "-A whole two months early!"

Danny laughed but the light didn't reach his eyes. He had dreamt of this moment more times than he cared to admit and not one was devoid of Steve. The war between worry and anger was quickly sapping all his strength.

Suddenly, a fierce jolt went through him and his heart clenched.

_Steve!_

Something was very, _very_ wrong. Danny was about to race out the door when Keahi tightened her grip on his hand and he could've sworn he heard a crack.

The baby was coming.

Steve would never forgive him if he left and Danny would never forgive Steve for making him choose.

* * *

"I can see her head, you're doing great, Keahi," Danny coaxed.

Two hours later, no sign of Steve, the baby was crowning and he resented the fact that the moment actually could've been more perfect… _with Steve_.

"Almost there," Dr. James said encouragingly.

* * *

"Almost there!" the fireman shouted.

The sound of crunching metal was disturbing, but it meant they were just that little bit closer to the occupant of the wrecked car.

Some kid ran a red light and smashed straight into the driver's side, trapping him in the car. The five car pile-up behind the Camaro was no help either.

The Jaws of Life popped open the door and a gush of blood flowed steadily from the driver's side, staining the road as the paramedics rushed to get him onto a gurney.

"No breath sounds, no pulse, get me a defibrillator!" One of the paramedics shouted.

* * *

"Just one more big push, Keahi. She's almost here!"

Danny's vision was blurred by tears but he couldn't bring himself to care. He didn't know if it was because he was watching their child being born, or because Steve insisted on catching her but he wasn't-_fucking_-here.

He watched as the baby slid into the arms of the doctor and fear gripped his heart as he took in the blue pallor of her skin.

"Why isn't she crying?" Danny demanded.

Dr. James took the baby to a separate table and Danny was surprised his heart managed to remain inside his chest as it pounded against his rib cage.

* * *

The paramedic shouted "Clear!" before attempting to jolt the driver's heart back to life for the third time. When the heart monitor showed nothing but a flat line again, they removed all equipment and covered his face before loading him into the ambulance.

A fireman ran up to them, a golden badge in his hand, "That was McGarrett," he said hoarsely.

* * *

A loud cry permeated the air and Danny let out the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding, almost collapsing to the ground in relief.

"How is she?" he asked.

"You have a beautiful baby boy, Detective," Dr. James answered.

"I thought…" Danny trailed off as he set his eyes on their little miracle for the first time. He wasn't allowed to hold her- _him _just yet but he couldn't have asked for a more perfect child and that was enough for him.

"Scans are not a hundred percent. Now, we have to take him down to the NICU. Why don't you go share the news and I'll send a nurse to come get you once he's settled."

Danny nodded and stumbled into the hallway, giddy with joy. The air punched out of him when Chin looked up at him, tears flowing freely down his cheeks as he held Kono's shaking form.

Chin hadn't even cried when his aunt died, which meant…

"Chin…?" Danny sank to the floor.

* * *

"Have you decided on a name?" Chin asked.

Danny had ignored the baby's very existence until the moment Steve's coffin was lowered into the ground. He had screamed and cried for Steve to not leave him, Chin only just preventing him from throwing himself down after the coffin. And then Danny realized that… Steve hadn't left him.

The baby's brown hair belied his paternal parentage, the child was evidently Steve's. Danny wasn't quite sure if the twist of fate was a coincidence but while the hollowness remained, there was a baby who needed Danny as much as Danny needed him.

Danny smiled up at Chin and said, "Steven John Williams-McGarrett."

* * *

_A/N: I'm sorry. I can't say it enough, I am sorry. I was in tears writing this and somehow managed to read it over, so if there are errors, I'm sorry. This was inspired by an episode of ER (I think) that I saw a long time ago and I thought it might be interesting to try and fit it in here. If any of you are waiting for an update on Ma'ane'i No Ke Aloha, again, I am so sorry. It's in there somewhere but writing has been difficult lately. Good or bad, let me know what you thought, please? _


End file.
